Vegas Sports Masters

The 2015 World Series begins Tuesday night, featuring the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals. This will be a high profile media event because a New York team is involved. And, even casual fans remember that Kansas City reached the Fall Classic last year before losing to the San Francisco Giants. This year’s trend for improved TV ratings should continue to go up, particularly if it’s a competitive series that goes six or seven games.

Will there be any handicapping edges that students here in my College of Advanced Sports Betting and Handicapping will be able to take advantage of?

Honestly…I think those will arise on a game-by-game basis based on the pitching matchups. Since both managers are being coy about their plans…it’s tough to know in advance when and where the best betting options will be!

I can tell you this up front. I think the main thrust of the series will come down to whether or not Kansas City score runs off New York’s stellar starting pitchers. The Cubs couldn’t…and didn’t manage to win a single game. And, that was a potent Cubs offense down the stretch and early in the playoffs. Chicago could only manage eight runs in four games.

Let me lay it out for you this way:

*The Mets offense will likely do some damage to KC’s starting pitchers

*The Mets, like everyone, will have trouble scoring on KC’s deep bullpen

*The Royals are a QUESTION MARK against the great Mets starters

*The Royals will be in trouble if they’re always behind in the later innings!

*The Royals will be in great shape if they’re tied or ahead entering the later innings because that bullpen is so hard to score on

New York’s offense had a bad rap through much of the season. They’ve really shown what they’re capable of here in October. New York is averaging 4.8 runs per playoff game despite playing mostly in pitcher’s parks and mostly against strong frontline starting pitching. If you’re facing the likes of Kershaw, Greinke, and Arrieta…getting anything on the board is something to be proud of!

Kansas City’s starting pitching is the soft spot of the team relatively speaking. They’re like “game manager” quarterbacks in football. They try to avoid disaster while the other PLAYMAKERS and GAMEBREAKERS earn the victory. In this case…the GAMEBREAKERS for the Royals are great relief pitching and clutch hitting.

I have to admit I’ve been impressed with Kansas City’s bats in October too. They’ve had a few explosion games, which has created a runs-per-game average of 5.7. But, they were facing softer pitching than the Mets were generally speaking, and had a DH in their lineup. Can those KC bats get anything on the board vs. NY’s flamethrowers? Can they adjust to the relatively poor visibility in New York (part of the reason for the high K counts for Mets’ pitchers)?

I can’t get too specific because I need to protect my releases for paying clients. I can tell you these will be the key stats I’ll be studying daily.

*IP per start for all the starting pitchers

*Baserunners allowed per game for all the starting pitchers

*Home Runs allowed (always HUGE in the postseason) for all the starting pitchers

Then, I’ll be watching each game to see why kind of contact hitters are making. If the Mets stay in synch…this is their series to win. But, Kansas City has something to prove after losing last year…while New York’s roster may relax too soon feeling that they’ve already climbed two big mountains. In short, THE MOTIVATION FACTOR may be favoring the AL entry because they’ve got the bigger chip on their shoulder.

Back with you later this week to talk more football. I may have a “read and react” baseball report in the coming days if conditions warrant? We obviously have games 1-2 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then 3-4-5 on Friday-Saturday-Sunday. That sets up a possible checkpoint a week from now heading into what would be games 6-7 in Kansas City next Tuesday and Wednesday (unless weather gets in the way).

The Dean of Sports Handicapping greatly appreciates your hard work and attendance. See you again next time.